The Milwaukee Brewers squeaked into the National League Championship Series after a dramatic series against the Chicago Cubs. However, Pat Murphy and his team are on the ropes after losing two home games to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In order to turn the series around and come out on top, relievers like Jacob Misiorowski and Aaron Ashby need to play a bigger role.
Throughout the regular season, Milwaukee has been more dominant than anyone Even though the Brewers fell short of the 100 wins goal that Quinn Priester set earlier this year, the team is full of talent. However, the team could not get on track against the defending World Series champions. The offense got shut down and the pitching could not hold up against the Dodgers' aces.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto put together one of the best postseason starts in Los Angeles franchise history in Game 2. On the other side of the matchup, Freddy Peralta was one out away from a quality start of his own. However, Murphy's bullpen has given up all but two of the Dodgers' runs so far in the NLCS. That doesn't mean that the Brewers don't have capable relievers, though.
Milwaukee needs to make a drastic change in order to get back into this series. That comes on the pitcher's mound, where Murphy needs to find a way to limit a Dodgers offense that has seen players up and down the order contribute throughout the fall. The Brewers' bullpen has the talent to put together multiple dominant innings if used in the right combination.
In order to even up the series, the Brewers have to go into one of the most hostile environments in Major League Baseball and get two victories. Here is the change that will get them there.
Jacob Misiorowski holds the key to a rebound
Misiorowski has dominated in the seven innings that he has pitched so far this postseason. However, the jump from the Cubs offense to the murderer's row that is the Dodgers' batting order. Despite that, the rookie All-Star is riding momentum into Game 3 and could be the player that turns the game on its head. It is just a matter of Murphy calling his number at the right time.
Misiorowski made history when he earned an All-Star nod. Down the stretch of the regular season, he had issues stringing together solid outings. However, he got right against the Cubs and is chomping at the bit to take on Los Angeles. The Brewers could turn to him to start Wednesday's game and give his team the opportunity to jump out to an early lead once again.
Jackson Chourio gave Milwaukee a quick 1-0 advantage in Game 2. However, Yamamoto shut the Brewers down and Murphy's bullpen could not hold things together late in the game. Misiorowski gives his manager a change of pace option that can baffle the Dodgers' stars and give Milwaukee a chance to run away with one of the next two games in Dodger Stadium.
Aaron Ashby is one of the few pitchers to have success against LA
Trevor Megill had a great year for the Brewers this season. However he suffered a late injury that put Milwaukee's bullpen into a tough position down the stretch. Abner Uribe took his spot as the closer, but Ashby was one of many players who stepped up when called upon. He did so again in Game 1, starting the series on the mound for Murphy against Los Angeles.
Ashby could not hold a candle against the Dodgers' playoff No. 1, Blake Snell, on Monday night. However, he put together a scoreless inning, pitching around Shohei Ohtani to get out of the inning without giving up any runs. He has not pitched more than two innings since September 28, though. He is not a bulk reliever, but he has shown that he can shut the Dodgers down.
Milwaukee has its work cut out for it over the next two days. In order to give themselves a chance against the defending champions, the Brewers need to send a message. Putting Misiorowski and Ashby in high-leverage positions gives the team a good chance to spark a comeback. One thing is for sure, though; Murphy has a lot to figure out and not much time to work with.
Milwaukee's comeback attempt starts on Wednesday night in Los Angeles. Having a capable bullpen gives Murphy a puncher's chance to knock out the overwhelming World Series favorite.
